Angels look to muster more fight vs. Rangers

By Rhett Bollinger / MLB.com

The Angels know that if they want to win the AL West for the fourth consecutive season, they'll have to play better against the division-leading Rangers.

Saturday's 6-2 win over the Rangers at the Ballpark at Arlington was a start for the Angels, who trail the Rangers by six games, but they're still just 3-5 against the Rangers this season after going 8-11 against Texas last year.

The Angels will look for a split in their four-game set in Texas with right-hander Trevor Bell making his first start of the season on Sunday while the Rangers will counter with right-hander Tommy Hunter.

Bell, who is 1-1 with a 6.05 ERA in 15 relief appearances this season, is the latest addition to the Angels rotation with left-hander Scott Kazmir on the disabled list and right-hander Sean O'Sullivan being traded to the Royals for third baseman Alberto Callaspo.

Sunday will mark his fifth career start, as the 23-year-old made four starts last season, going 1-2 with a 6.20 ERA in those four outings.

But he's been solid with Triple-A Salt Lake this season with a 2-0 record and a 3.00 ERA in six starts, and reached 83 pitches in his most recent outing at Salt Lake, before working the ninth inning of O'Sullivan's win against the Yankees in the series opener on Tuesday night.

"I'll be at 100 [pitches] if they need me to be," Bell said. "I feel good about the way I've been throwing. My last start I went six innings, four strikeouts, no walks."

Hunter, meanwhile, is still perfect on the season with a 7-0 record and a 2.09 ERA in nine outings. The 24-year-old was also solid in his last start, when he threw seven scoreless innings against the Tigers on Tuesday and picked up the win.

"Tommy has been terrific," Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus said. "He's been great. He goes out there and fights every inning. That's what makes him so special."

Angels: Kazmir breathes sigh of relief
Angels left-hander Kazmir, who is on the 15-day disabled list with a fatigued left shoulder, said Saturday that he received good news from Rangers team physician Dr. Keith Meister. "The MRI [taken Thursday] was better than good, Dr. Meister told me," Kazmir said. "He said, `Yes, there are some abnormalities, but that's always going to be there for someone who has been pitching for six years.' For as long as I've been throwing, he said it's way above normal. That was a big relief."

Rangers: Teagarden called up for injured Treanor
Catcher Matt Treanor was placed on the disabled list with a strained right PCL he suffered on Friday against the Angels and fellow catcher Taylor Teagarden was called up from Double-A Frisco to take his place on the roster. "Being down in Double-A and the team doing as well as they have up here, it's not easy for me to think about coming up here anytime soon," Teagarden said. "With an injury like that, anything can happen. I'm just grateful to be here...anything I can do I'll be ready."

Worth noting
Angels second baseman Howard Kendrick, who entered Saturday leading the AL in games played with 97, was given the day off with Maicer Izturis getting the start at second base. ... The Rangers set their rotation for their upcoming series against the A's and Angels. Left-hander Cliff Lee will pitch the opening game against the A's on Tuesday, followed by Colby Lewis and C.J. Wilson, while in Anaheim the Rangers are expected to start Scott Feldman in the opener before following him up with Tommy Hunter and Lee in the finale. ... The Rangers officially inducted Tom Grieve, who is currently serving as a Rangers broadcaster, into the club's Hall of Fame on Saturday at the Ballpark in Arlington.

This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.